Ford and Resavage lead a Holy Comforter sweep of the Crusader Classic

The Holy Comforter Episcopal School cross-country team seldom lets visitors win at their home meets, and the Crusader Cross Country Classic on Thursday afternoon, 9 October 2014, was no exception. The Crusaders won everything there was to win, starting with Holy Comforter's Katherine Resavage taking the girls' three-kilometer race in 11:38 and leading her team to a winning score of 23 points. In the boys' 3K, Crusader James Ford grabbed a 10:57 win while his team scored a narrow 28 to 29 win over runner-up Maclay.


The girls race started at 4:00 PM on Lawson's Course, the cross-country paradise carved out of old cow pasture behind Holy Comforter Episcopal School. By the end of the first half a kilometer Katherine Resavage was out front with Catherine MacLean of Mowatt Middle School (Lynn Haven, FL) a few meters back. The rest of the field followed. Halfway through the race, Resavage was still running away from everyone. Mowatt continued to hold down second, followed by three Holy Comforter runners--Hannah Hosay, Elizabeth Calabro, and Emma McGibany. However, Maclay runners Lindsay James and Kenzie Mazziotta were moving up, challenging McGibany for fifth.


No one was moving up on Katherine Resavage, though. The Crusader eighth-grader successfully defended her 2013 title while setting a new girls' course record of 11:38. Finishing strong, Lindsay James of Maclay took second in 12:33 while her fellow Marauder Kenzie Mazziotta placed third in 12:36. The Crusaders answered by taking the next four places with Hannah Hosay (4th, 12:38), Elizabeth Calabro (5th, 12:51), Ella Thames (6th, 13:05), and Haley Hobbs (7th, 13:10). Catherine MacLean was eight in 13:16.


With five scorers in the top seven, Holy Comforter had a mathematically unbeatable score of 23 points and the win. Maclay was second with 44, and Cornerstone edged Trinity Catholic 93 to 95 for third.


2014 Crusader Classic Team Standings (Girls)

1. Holy Comforter, 23
2. Maclay, 44
3. Cornerstone Learning, 93
4. Trinity Catholic, 95
5. Christ Classical, 125

Top Ten Girls, 2014 Crusader Classic 3K

1. 11:37.90 ~ Katherine Resavage (Holy Comforter) 8
2. 12:32.04 ~ Lindsay James (Maclay) 6
3. 12:35.41 ~ Kenzie Mazziotta (Maclay) 8
4. 12:37.50 ~ Hannah Hosay (Holy Comforter) 7
5. 12:50.80 ~ Elizabeth Calabro (Holy Comforter) 7
6. 13:04.58 ~ Ella Thames (Holy Comforter) 8
7. 13:09.73 ~ Haley Hobbs (Holy Comforter) 8
8. 13:15.67 ~ Catherine MacLean (Mowat Middle School) 8
9. 13:18.65 ~ Jainey Coates (Maclay) 8
10. 13:30.16 ~ Emma McGibany (Holy Comforter) 8

Holy Comforter's James Ford didn't start off in front, but you don't win a 3000-meter race in the first 100 meters or even the first 500 meters. It was around the 500-meter mark that Ford took over the lead. Not much later, Johnny McClure of Maclay moved into second, a few meters back of Ford. Ford added a few more meters to that lead during the race, but McClure started to narrow the gap as the finish approached. The Maclay runner never got close enough to challenge, though, and Ford crossed the line first in 10:57, winning the race for a second year in a row. McClure was second in 11:03.


Holy Comforter's Bryce Valveri (4th, 11:20), Joseph Ashebo (6th, 11:29), and Trey Jackson (8th, 11:37) gave the Crusaders four runners in the top ten. However, Maclay also had four Marauders in the top ten--McClure, Kennan Milford (3rd, 11:15), Max Eastman (7th, 11:34), and Alfredo Paredes (9th, 11:38). Moving on to the fifth runners, Maclay's Thomas Deison grabbed 11th in 11:57 while Jackson Roberts of Holy Comforter was 12th in 12:16--a one point advantage for the Marauders. But the Marauders needed yet another point to catch the Crusaders as Holy Comforter won the boys' race 28 to 29. Trinity Catholic was third with 74 points.


Holy Comforter will host one more meet at Lawson's course this fall, the Tallahassee Middle School Open on Thursday afternoon, 23 October 2014. The first race starts at 3:30 PM.


2014 Crusader Classic Team Standings (Boys)

1. Holy Comforter, 28
2. Maclay, 29
3. Trinity Catholic, 74
4. Christ Classical, 110

Top Ten Boys, 2014 Crusader Classic 3K

1. 10:56.87 ~ James Ford (Holy Comforter) 8
2. 11:02.81 ~ Johnny McClure (Maclay) 7
3. 11:14.37 ~ Kennan Milford (Maclay) 6
4. 11:19.12 ~ Bryce Valveri (Holy Comforter) 8
5. 11:24.98 ~ Avery Whaley (Community Christian) 8
6. 11:28.49 ~ Joseph Ashebo (Holy Comforter) 7
7. 11:33.51 ~ Max Eastman (Maclay) 8
8. 11:36.21 ~ Trey Jackson (Holy Comforter) 7
9. 11:37.18 ~ Alfredo Paredes (Maclay) 8
10. 11:53.23 ~ Aidan Murtha (Trinity Catholic) 8

Links

• Complete results of the 2014 Crusader Cross-Country Classic, courtesy of Miles and Minutes, LLC
  https://docs.google.com/document/d/1CpjuWUpGmzEr53jhFZeB_owthlwzQDoC5AL9e4HCvZI/pub
  
  
• More photos of the 2014 Crusader Cross-Country Classic
  
  • Girls: https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10105165572782583.1073742025.5215641&l=9cc9e4f45e
    
  • Boys: https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10105167286438403.1073742026.5215641&l=c1c549d5bb
    
  
  
• 2013 story, "Home wins for Ford and Resavage at the Crusader Classic"
  http://troubleafoot.blogspot.com/2013/09/crusaders-2013.html
  
  
• 2012 story, "More wins at home for Holy Comforter cross country"
  http://troubleafoot.blogspot.com/2012/10/crusaders-2-2012.html
  
  
• 2012 story, "McCann and Fitzgerald lead Holy Comforter victories at Crusader 3K"
  http://troubleafoot.blogspot.com/2012/09/crusaders-2012.html
  
  
• 2009 story, "Poole, Bartlett victorious at Holy Comforter"
  http://troubleafoot.blogspot.com/2009/10/poole-bartlett-victorious-at-holy.html
  
  
• A tour of the 3K route at Lawson's Course via TallahasseeTrails.com
  http://www.tallahasseetrails.com/Cross-Country-Course-Maps/Holy-Comforter-3Km-Course-Tour
  
  
• Find a cross-country race to run yourself on the Trouble Afoot! calendar
  http://troubleafoot.blogspot.com/search/label/calendar?max-results=1
  
  

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